Touring Karts | PSVR Review
Who doesn’t love kart-racing games? We’ve all probably grown up on games like Mario Kart, which has taught us how be combative in a racing game. Virtual reality is becoming more prominent in the industry, and Ivanovich Games developed Touring Karts for multiple headsets. While it succeeds in bringing the genre into VR, it’s not without its issues. Still, it has plenty of gameplay options, a ton of unlockable content, and a great sense of humor.
Start Your Engines
Touring Karts plays very familiar to most games of its kind. You’ll race other players with a selection of weapons to thwart your opponents’ progress. Some, like the banana peel, will feel very familiar. Others are variations of attacks and speed boosts. The slight difference here is that ability to combine items to make them more effective. Most of these come in the form of energy drinks that, by themselves, give you a temporary speed boost. But if you hang onto one of these items, you’ll be able to add it to a weapon and make it more powerful on your next pickup. It’s a fun little addition that adds to the strategy of a kart racer.
Sadly, that’s about the extent of the positives I have to say about this game. Although I don’t expect high quality graphics in most VR titles, the look and feel of Touring Karts are very rudimentary. Although the controls work well enough, steering feels very stiff and robotic. Releasing the wheel simply stops turning altogether instead of slowly righting itself like in other racers. It gives the feel of a mobile racer instead of one on a console. Like I said, it still works just fine, but it feels very old school, and I would have appreciated some more love put into making it feel like a modern racer. Or maybe I’m just spoiled by how other racers feels.
A New Kind of Racing Helmet
One of the highlights of Touring Karts is the fact that you have so many options to play the game. Although I played primarily in VR, you don’t have to strap on your helmet. In fact, you can play with several different combinations of hardware. Feel like playing with your VR helmet and a steering wheel? Not a problem. How about playing on your television with a controller that allows you to use motion controls to fire your weapons? Sure thing. There’s a total of six permutations at your disposal to find a preferred method of play.
This versatility is very much appreciated, especially because of the amount of motion sickness I experienced while playing it. I consider myself having a pretty strong stomach, but after less than an hour of play, I felt incredibly nauseous. The combination of moving forward in a 3D space while being able to turn my head was more than my body could handle. Thankfully, I had the option to change my viewpoint to help with the queasiness a bit. As mentioned above, I could have also played without using VR, but honestly, that was the novelty of playing Touring Karts. The game simply isn’t impressive enough on its own to enjoy it a great deal solely on my television.
Plenty to Keep You Busy
If you can handle the motion sickness better than I can, there’s a ton of content to unlock. Winning races earns you new karts and tracks. On top of that, you can play online with up to eight total racers on a single track, and there are daily challenges to keep you racing for quite a while.
Touring Karts is a serviceable kart racer, but the novelty of playing in VR wears off rather quickly. Still, the novelty is a fun ride for players who haven’t played other popular games in the genre. But veterans will probably rather stick with a console series that they’re comfortable with. I do appreciate the care that went into giving players options to help those who suffer with motion sickness, but unfortunately, this game made me more eager to reach for my Switch instead of going back to it.
This review is based on a PlayStation VR copy of Touring Karts provided by Jesus Fabre for coverage purposes. It is also available on Oculus and Vive with more platforms in 2020.
Touring Karts
$19.99
Pros
- Serviceable Racing Mechanics
- Several Ways to Play
- Motion-Sickness Conscious
Cons
- Racing Feels Outdated
- May Be Nauseating for Some
